


Strawberry Kiss

by attyohsehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attyohsehun/pseuds/attyohsehun
Summary: Baekhyun's love for Chanyeol is nothing short of unrequited. Is it possible for him to be happy at all?





	Strawberry Kiss

Glued at the hips – that’s what anyone who has seen Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Sehun together would have described them as. They have been the best of friends even before either of them learned to count. They were basically in diapers when they had their first pinky promise.

***

The life they lived was cut out from a fairy tale story – kids never really had problems the size of Jupiter, after all. Then again, change is all but constant in this world. If there was a thing that was inevitable, it would be growing up. It was one afternoon in mid-November when Baekhyun learned that fairy tales only existed in the story books that his mom read for him at bed time. Since then, he had learned how it felt like to grow up – little by little.

***

Little Baekhyun and little Sehun were sitting on the swings at the far end of the playground when little Chanyeol came bounding to them with a smile that made his lack of two front teeth look all the more comical. Little Baekhyun had an equally radiant smile on his face which fell as soon as little Chanyeol went around them and settled himself at little Sehun’s back – pushing the boy whose smile became wider as he soared through the air.

Little Baekhyun propped himself on his feet and swung himself instead – a bead of tear rolled down on his cheek as he realized that he’d always be second best no matter how hard he tried.

***

Several years – thirteen, to be exact, have passed since that one fateful afternoon and Baekhyun had accepted the fact that his love for Chanyeol would be nothing short of unrequited. Somehow, he had learned to block the pain. In fact, he had become quite numb. He has long since realized that observing his two best friends broke the already crushed pieces of his heart all the more; so tune them out, he did.

***

One’s defenses could only be so sturdy, and humans, no matter how strong they may seem, will always have a breaking point, _somehow._ Baekhyun’s world crumbled the day Chanyeol shoved a piece of silver to his face, asking whether it was shiny enough; with the intent of wooing Sehun. Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol loved Sehun in a way that was beyond platonic. When you think about it, Baekhyun was kind of in the same dilemma – except that, his case was a lost cause.

“Baekkie! What do you think of this?” Chanyeol excitedly poked Baekhyun on his sides as he continued shoving the sparkly object in front of the smaller’s eyes – too close to the point that Baekhyun felt a little cross-eyed.

“It’s… it’s…pretty.” It was all Baekhyun could reply, not liking the feeling on his gut as he figured what this was all about.

“I’m telling him tomorrow… on his birthday.”

The smile Chanyeol had on his face could only be inversely proportionate to the look Baekhyun had on his face; the boy’s visage shifted to a scowl.

“Baekkie. Are you okay?” Chanyeol reached his hand out and laid it on Baekhyun’s forehead – concern written all over his features.

Baekhyun didn’t have it in him to ruin Chanyeol’s plans. God knows how much he wanted to be selfish – how he wanted to tell Chanyeol that he couldn’t do that because he was supposed to be _his_ – how he had patiently waited all these years for the giant's love that never came. Then again, of all the things that Baekhyun was, he was never a selfish person. Not that he’d have the heart to hurt Chanyeol to begin with. He loved the boy after all.

Rushing to the bathroom was all Baekhyun could do to prevent himself from breaking down in front of Chanyeol. Baekhyun was a lot of things – but he was not dumb. He had always known that his love would forever be unrequited and he knew that this day would come – sooner or later. Still, it didn’t make the pain hurt any less. And there he was thinking that the years of preparation for this had numbed him enough to keep himself from hurting – apparently, it wasn’t – judging by the tiny pin pricks he felt on his chest, that is.

“Baekkie! What’s wrong!?” Chanyeol’s panicked voice wafted through the wood as he banged on the cubicle door.

Baekhyun clamped a hand on his mouth to keep his sobs at bay before taking a deep breath so as to steady his voice.

“I-I ate something bad,” Baekhyun shouted back – thanking the heavens that his voice barely cracked.

“Oh you stinky piggy!” Chanyeol all but snickered.

Baekhyun finally allowed himself to slide onto the floor with his back against the closed door – a fresh wave of tears overwhelming him as soon as he heard Chanyeol’s footsteps fade away to the distance. Chanyeol was going away – in more ways than one.

***

Much to Baekhyun’s surprise, God wasn’t all too cruel after all. Good thing they were on their final year of high school, which meant that he only had to endure a few months of heartache; read: Chanyeol and Sehun’s lovey-dovey acts, murmurs of sweet nothings, and don’t even get him started on those couple shirts. Those three months felt like years though. Baekhyun never thought that his heart could get any more broken than it already was – but apparently, it did. He could feel what he presumed to be the shards of his broken heart pierce through his chest every time Chanyeol professed his undying love for Sehun – and believe him, he did that _a lot._ Thankfully, it was only a matter of time before they had to leave for university and Baekhyun was more than happy to have had an excuse to go away and finally move on.

***

Baekhyun had been living quite a satisfactory life – not exactly happy, but satisfactory nonetheless. He felt as if his life was finally on track after all those years of pain. He was starting to feel a sliver of hope that everything in his life was finally falling into place. He had a job which pays for his needs adequately; he’s studying music which is his passion; he has had a few dates with interesting people here and there and although it was nothing serious, Baekhyun considered it as testing the waters – hoping that he’d finally meet the one for him. Basically, his life was okay. There wasn’t possibly anything else he could ask for – except that, he knew very well in his heart that the one thing he desired the most could never be his. And when there’s nothing else you can do about it, you move on.

***

Three years. Three years, he had gathered all the pieces of his broken heart and mended them together. What he failed to consider was that adhesive could only hold for so long, and that his heart was not made of glass after all. He’d consider using stitches; but then again, even the most perfectly executed stitches on incisions have eviscerated – Baekhyun’s heart was definitely frailer than that.

A call from Chanyeol was all it took for Baekhyun’s seemingly perfect world to crumble down once more.

“Baekkie?”

Baekhyun felt his heart do a somersault at the familiar voice. Years have done nothing to erase the memory of the voice that he has oh-so longed for.

“Y-Y-eol?

“Baekkie!”

Baekhyun finally recovered from his initial shock and he can now hear the faint sound of sobbing from the other end of the line.

“Yeol. Calm down. What happened?”

“He’s gone, Baek. Sehunnie’s gone.”

“What!? What do you mean he’s gone!?” Baekhyun all but shrieked onto the receiver. He was in panic mode by this time. Baekhyun had to shake his head to rid it of visualizations of Sehun in his pink casket. His knuckles have turned white from gripping the phone so tight but he couldn’t be bothered by it; not at the possibility of never being able to see his best friend ever again – they still have a lot to reconcile for, after all.

Chanyeol actually had the audacity to chuckle at this point and Baekhyun could almost feel the worry tugging on his heart slowly dissipate.

“I meant that he’s gone. He…he…left me for his Math professor. Mister what’s-his-face. Baekkie… I can’t live without him,” Chanyeol sighed.

Baekhyun actually had to fight himself from letting out a sigh of relief. Now that the knowledge that his best friend wasn’t dead was established, his breathed easier – only for his chest to tighten once more as he realized the impact of Chanyeol’s last words.  
  
Nothing has changed. Baekhyun finds himself back to square one.

***

Baekhyun should have known that Chanyeol had not spent that much moolah on that ridiculously long long distance phone call for nothing. If Baekhyun knew better, Chanyeol just used that phone call into guilt tripping him into let the giant stay over at his apartment while he 'recovered'. If Chanyeol wanted to visit, he could have arranged a hotel room for him. Not that Chanyeol would willingly pay for that, though, and Baekhyun wouldn't either. Chanyeol was a scrooge – well, they did say that birds of the same feather flock together. Baekhyun knew he was about the same caliber as Chanyeol when it comes to stinginess – if not more. Sehun was kinda loose on money though. He was the odd one out in their little circle. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were too alike, yet Chanyeol chose Sehun. Baekhyun huffed as he realized the truth in that famous adage about how opposites attract.

“Hey Baekkie!” a bouncing Chanyeol emerged through the automatic doors of the airport's arrival area.

Baekhyun felt breathless as he was greeted with the smile he had longed for in three years. It was the same smile that had him falling all these years. Baekhyun knew it was stupid of him to let his feelings reemerge just because of something so trivial as a smile, yet he knew that he never really stopped loving the man who was now tackling him in a one-armed hug. When he thinks about it, Baekhyun never really stopped falling per se. He’d like to call it as _stalling._ When Chanyeol got together with Sehun a few years back, Baekhyun forced himself to stop so as to avoid hurt. Now that he feels Chanyeol’s warm embrace around him and his soft breath on his ear as he whispered overdue words of longing and whatnot, Baekhyun wondered how he survived three years without him; except from the occasional Birthday and Christmas greetings, that is. As Chanyeol pulled him by the wrist towards the nearest confectionery stall in the airport – wide brown eyes shining as though he had found the Pandora’s box, Baekhyun found himself falling just a little harder.

Baekhyun should’ve known that three years away from Chanyeol didn’t do much to change the man – boy actually, in Baekhyun’s opinion. Physically, he wasn’t the same scrawny boy Baekhyun had to defend from bullies way back in elementary, nor the socially awkward teenager who, although bulkier than before, still had the mentality of a five-year-old boy. As he looked at Chanyeol who was now talking animatedly with the saleslady about how much sprinkles and marshmallows he wanted on his doughnut, Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile at the thought that muscles or no muscles, this was still the Chanyeol he loved – he _loves._

***

Baekhyun was obsessive-compulsive, to say the least. He organized his apartment in a way that would make professional cleaning ladies ashamed of their work. He didn’t like mess – he’s allergic to it – which is why he felt his blood pressure rise up as he entered his apartment one night, only to find it basically upturned. He had been very patient in dealing with his brokenhearted friend, but Baekhyun had no patience when it came to mess. How Chanyeol managed to break his plastic cup – yes, plastic – was beyond him. However, the glare he sent towards Chanyeol’s direction immediately faltered as he saw his huddled sleeping form on the couch – curling himself in a fetal position. He might have been cold, so Baekhyun immediately went to his room to retrieve a blanket for him.

As Baekhyun carefully put the blanket around Chanyeol’s sleeping form, a tiny object Chanyeol held firmly in his grasp caught his eye. He leaned in closer to examine said thing – only to realize that it was a strawberry flavored lollipop. Baekhyun wanted to laugh but he failed to do so as Chanyeol chose that very moment to reach out and hug him flush against the taller's body. His heartbeat rapidly increased as he found himself on top of Chanyeol without so much as a warning.

Baekhyun tried to pry himself off of Chanyeol’s hold, but the man was much too strong even in his sleep. Finding no way out of his current predicament, he let himself relax into his warmth instead – looking up at Chanyeol’s angelic face. He felt his heart clench as he noticed the dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Reality bit him once again as he thought about the lollipop Chanyeol had in his hands. Sehun liked, no, he _loved_ pink.

Chanyeol, Baekhyun realized, must have fallen asleep crying about Sehun again. He’s amazed at how he kept fooling himself - as if there's no amount of obvious signs that would stop his heart from beating for this man who he has been loving for thirteen years in the running. The human heart was indeed, one stubborn organ, he decides.

Baekhyun tried to stand up once again, using his arms to support his weight. Chanyeol held on tighter though. Baekhyun turned to scowl at Chanyeol’s sleeping face. He had no inkling how hard he was making this for him. Doesn’t he know how his actions meant so much to Baekhyun?

Baekhyun’s scowl was replaced by shock as Chanyeol brought their faces together and let their lips meet for the first time. Baekhyun had imagined this happen in his head so many times, yet nothing could have prepared him for the avalanche of feelings it brought. He could feel tingles run down his spine and towards his toes. Every part of him was on fire and although he knew that it was wrong of him to indulge in this, knowing that Chanyeol wasn’t even aware of what he’s doing, he couldn't bring himself to stop. He could barely taste the hint of strawberry on Chanyeol’s tongue and he didn’t think his favorite flavor could be any sweeter – _but it was._ Chanyeol could be kissing Sehun in his dream for all Baekhyun knew, but he couldn’t bother himself to care anymore. Not when Chanyeol’s lips were soft and pliant against his own – Chanyeol’s heart beat in synch with his erratic one.

Baekhyun forced himself to let go when he felt wetness on his cheeks and for a while, he thought that he had lost his composure again. He was surprised when he found no tears on his eyes as he tried to wipe them with the back of his hand. He looked at the man beneath him and found that it was Chanyeol who was crying. He suddenly felt guilty for taking advantage of Chanyeol’s vulnerability. He finally came to a decision – this will be the last time he’d indulge himself. He certainly did not have enough strength to pull away from the one thing he had always wanted since time immemorial. Tomorrow be damned, Baekhyun wanted to experience Chanyeol's love even if it was all but fleeting. And so, Baekhyun let himself live in his dream as he tricked himself into believing that Chanyeol reciprocated his feelings, if only just this once.

“I love you,” Chanyeol whispered, his eyes still closed – tears now freely flowing on his cheeks.

“I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know,” Baekhyun allowed himself a silent reply. He wiped Chanyeol’s tears with his fingers and rested his head against his chest – falling asleep to the sound of Chanyeol’s heart beat.

***

When Baekhyun woke up, Chanyeol was nowhere to be seen. He found himself tucked in safely on the couch with the blanket he placed over Chanyeol just last night on top of him. Baekhyun slowly sat up and his eye caught something on the coffee table beside the couch. The same lollipop Chanyeol was holding the night previous lay atop a blue post-it note.

> _“Baekkie. This is for you. Meet me at McDonald’s for lunch. See you.”_  
>  \- Yeol, whom you love the most

Baekhyun couldn’t help the smile that crept up his face as he read the note. His momentary panic at the thought that their friendship got broken because of the previous night's happenings replaced by relief that Chanyeol seemed to have remembered nothing after all.

 _McDonald's, huh,_  Baekhyun thought of how Chanyeol was still as stingy as ever, yet not able to keep the smile off his face despite himself. Never had the thought of greasy heart attack food sounded more appealing. He glanced at the clock on the wall which read eleven-thirty in the morning. So much for preparing. He was already running late so he decided against taking a bath. Chanyeol might have been a slob, but he was a time-conscious slob. He’d rather not risk testing Chanyeol’s patience for something as shallow as a shower. _It’s not like they’re going on a date anyway,_ he reminds himself.

Baekhyun made a quick work of his hair by flattening it against his scalp with his hands. He donned a black leather jacket over his shirt and jeans ensemble from last night and was out of his apartment door in no time. Not before grabbing the lollipop on the coffee table though.

The walk to the fast food chain took no more than ten minutes and Baekhyun found himself facing Ronald McDonald’s creepy smile in no time. Baekhyun entered the establishment quickly and scanned the crowd for a sign of messy brown hair. It took him no more than mere seconds to spot Chanyeol’s head amidst the sea of strangers. What made him do a double take though was someone else’s familiar brown locks.

Baekhyun felt hot tears on the brink of falling from him eyes and he immediately retreated to prevent Chanyeol from seeing him like this. No sooner did he turn on his heel did he feel himself collide with someone. Good thing that someone caught him by the waist, saving him from falling. 

“Hey? Are you okay?” the guy who caught him asked.

Baekhyun didn’t even notice that he had closed his eyes and he slowly looked up to the man whilst retracting himself from the man’s hold. He took in his appearance. He was definitely handsome, but seemed to be unsure of himself. He wore a crisp white shirt and thick horn-rimmed glasses and Baekhyun thought he was hot in an awkward way – like a hot nerdy professor perhaps? And as if that was not enough, the man had a smoking body. Baekhyun couldn’t help but think that this man was definitely a keeper. Maybe Baekhyun could date him instead. Who cares about Chanyeol anyway? Speaking of Chanyeol, Baekhyun hastily muttered an apology and started to walk away in haste when someone caught his wrist.

“Baekkie. You’re late. I thought you wouldn't come.”

Baekhyun froze at the familiar voice. Chanyeol might have witnessed the commotion he caused and now he would have no choice but to endure yet another heart break. Chanyeol, probably sensing Baekhyun’s discomfort, led him to sit at their table. Baekhyun gulped before finding himself being enveloped in a very tight hug that he was quite sure he broke a rib or two. Huh, looks like his friends wouldn't stop at breaking his heart, it seems.

“Baek!!! I’ve missed you!!!”

“S-Se-Hun! L-L-et go,” Baekhyun gasped – arms flailing.

“Ouch Baek! Is that how you treat an old friend whom you haven’t seen for so long!?” Sehun chided, faking tears.

"No. I don’t mean it that way. Just. C-Can’t breathe.”

Chanyeol pried Sehun off Baekhyun with ease and gave Baekhyun a comforting smile. He sat beside him and handed him the strawberry lollipop. He didn’t even realize he had dropped it earlier when he collided with that good-looking man. Much to Baekhyun’s surprise, the ‘good-looking man’ sat opposite him beside Sehun and gave him a knowing look.

“So, Baek. This is Jongin, my boyfriend,” Sehun all but beamed.

Baekhyun took a sideways glance at Chanyeol and was surprised to see him smiling genuinely. It was kinda odd, he thought.

“Hello, Jongin. Sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” Baekhyun bowed his head slightly in apology.

“Oh it’s okay, Baekhyun. I knew you were distracted.”

Baekhyun’s confusion must have been evident on his face and he turned to Chanyeol beside him, only to find him smiling ear-to-ear at him.

“So, Baek. When are you gonna tell me about _your_ boyfriend?” Sehun wiggled his eyebrows at him, confusing Baekhyun all the more.

“W-What? Me? Boyfriend? I don’t have one!” Baekhyun defended himself – seemingly flustered.

“Oh, come on man. No need to be shy!” Sehun pressed on.

Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol once more in an attempt to ask him what was going on. The stupid giant might have said something to Sehun for him to assume that Baekhyun had something remotely close to a love life.

“Yeol… Whaaa---”

The rest of Baekhyun’s words died in his throat when Chanyeol captured his lips in a swift kiss and Baekhyun wondered for a moment if he was dreaming. Sehun cleared his throat and Baekhyun and Chanyeol reluctantly parted. Chanyeol chuckled at Baekhyun who pinched his own arm to ascertain that he was not dreaming. It hurt.

“Ow!” Baekhyun shrieked.

“You’re not dreaming, Baekkie. And I wasn’t asleep last night,” Chanyeol said.

“W-Wait. How. What… Even. I don’t ---” Baekhyun’s words were incoherent. He felt his face turn beet red and the jeers from the couple across the table did nothing to help his case.

Chanyeol pushed the strawberry lollipop on his open palm and intertwined their fingers with the lollipop in between.

“I never really liked strawberry, Baek. Heck, to be honest, I hate pink. It hurts my eyes! The only way I would ever like pink is if pink was black," Baekhyun's eyes went wide at this newfound information, yet not able to retort due to the shock. How dare Sehun badmouth the best color in the world. Baekhyun really needed to reevaluate his choices in friends, to be honest. "I just went with it because you are my bestest friend in the whole wide world. The things Chanyeol liked about me, are the  things I picked up from you. It has always been you that Chanyeol loved. Our imbecile of a friend was just too dumb to realize it sooner. I basically had to kick his ass out the door for him to realize how stupid he was being,” Sehun teased – earning a wack from Chanyeol which Jongin returned as revenge for his boyfriend.

“What? Yeol?” Baekhyun gazed at Chanyeol questioningly.

“It’s true, Baekkie. I’m sorry it took me so long, but it’s true,” Chanyeol smiled sheepishly – looking like the five-year-old boy that he truly was once again.

Baekhyun couldn’t help the fresh wave of tears that overwhelmed him. He had a million and one questions running in his head yet deep down, he knew that Chanyeol was the answer to all of them. Never had Baekhyun imagined that this day would come. He did say that his case was a lost cause, after all. As he felt Chanyeol envelop him in a hug, Baekhyun felt that he was finally home.

***

“So… Fries anyone?” Jongin, ever the vapid person that he was, butted in as Chanyeol and Baekhyun still hadn’t let go of each other after several minutes. It was Sehun’s turn to smack him this time. He was successful in separating Chanyeol and Baekhyun from their hugging though. The four of them laughed as they told stories of memories long forgotten and future plans all throughout the afternoon.

When Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun’s hand tightly in his under the table, Baekhyun couldn't help but wonder if this was how true happiness felt. As Baekhyun felt Chanyeol's thumb rubbing circles on his knuckles, he realized that his love story with Chanyeol was never a lost cause, after all.  Just because Chanyeol looked at him all the time then, doesn't mean he could  _see_ him. It's just that perfect stories needed time to unfold and the delay did not mean that they were hopeless. Baekhyun was glad to have waited for his happy ending patiently by Chanyeol’s side, and thankfully, Chanyeol finally _found_ him.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Unbeta'd. Grammar errors are part and parcel of my existence TYVM.  
> \- CAN'T KEEP CALM EXO COMEBACK IS UNDERWAY ASDDHJAKFHAKASDJFL;ASJDAFA  
> \- I'm a sad little bean with no Chanbaek shipper friends irl so if anybody even reads this, hit me up at Twitter (where I mostly talk to myself) to spazz about Chanbaek! My UN is @attyohsehun  
> \- Comments are loved and constructive criticisms are appreciated as well. \o/


End file.
